I’m gonna take this moment to say something with my whole chest. I’ve been careful about amplifying any narratives regarding certain events surrounding the riots/protests because there’s many opposing narratives, especially with regards to the violence, property destruction, and

looting. Narratives include speculation that these were instigated by undercover cops, or is just the protesters/rioters themselves justly acting out, antifa escalating tension, etc. I urge anyone who feels the way I do to take it upon yourself to do research into these events,

political ideology, sociological phenomenon, etc., to gain a deeper understanding of why these things are happening and how we got here. I’m by no means an expert on any of this and couldn’t even begin to make recommendations for sources with any confidence.

I will say that, from what I’ve learned so far, riots are an understandable and predictable outcome when you have marginalized groups whose demands are not being met. This is not to condemn nor condone the rioting, simply asking that we have an open mind to what the message is.

Additionally, I’ve also learned that we should be wary of narratives that rely on things such as “undercover cops did it,” “white protestors did it,” “outsiders did it,” “antifa did it,” because for one, we simply do not have all the facts, and secondly, some of this analysis

overfocuses on racial differences, disregards class analysis, and dismisses legitimate black anger over racism, Whatever the case may be, I just urge everyone to review information critically, minimize the spread of false info, and try your best to make informed choices.

And one last disclaimer, keep that critical eye on this thread too. Twitter character limits suck, and I’m still learning, so I’m aware that anything I may have said might be a gross oversimplification of the matter, so don’t take what I’m saying at face value. Do your research.